Vanya
by Ardnahs
Summary: The fifth daughter of Lord Thane Ashkevron is coming of age in the rule of Selenlay and Darren. Her free spirit is being crushed by a stepmother who has come up with a way reign in her stubborn charge. So Vanya’s story begins. M for later chapters.


**Chapter One: Vanya**

_In the Solar of Forest Reach:_

Vanya was bored, and hot. Her Lady Mother required that Vanya spend at least part of her day cloistered with the other ladies of the keep in the solar to practice her embroidery and sewing. Vanya sighed and plunged the needle through the fine cotton, once more piercing her finger on the other side.

"Ouch."

"Oh dear you really must learn to be more gentle," admonished Vanya's stepmother, the Lady Maryuuna, as one of her junior maids in waiting got up to retrieve a cold cloth from the wash basin to clear the blood away.

"Yes, Lady Mother," Vanya sighed again in defeat. 'I pick up more bruises and scrapes from embroidery than I ever do out in the field.'

Vanya sighed and put her embroidery down for a moment to stare out at the beautiful clouds that skittered across the magnificent sky.

"Vanya," Lady Maryuuna scolded quietly.

'Even the recesses of my mind, I am not allowed to escape this drudgery,' Vanya picked up her embroidery again resignedly.

The young woman beside Vanya turned and leaned in close. "Vanya you are improving, don't worry, Mother will only wants us here until the hands from the field come in," whispered Alica. Vanya nodded her dark head to her older sister. Alica turned her own head back to her work her brown braid falling gracefully over soft pale shoulders. Alica was Vanya's favorite sister by far, she had always been there to offer Vanya helping hands and words of encouragement when the drudgery of 'lady-like' tasks had become too much. Even if Alica did not enjoy as fully the ridding and hunting, that Vanya did, she was the only one who defended Vanya's pursuits.

"It does not help when I know that I could be out with the falconers training the merlins or riding," Vanya whispered, looking to Lady Maryuuna to see if she had heard.

"Van, you know better, Mother is just looking after our interests," scolded Alica.

Vanya stared at her sister.

"What need do I have for needle work?" queried Vanya looking in disgust at the mass of knots and stray stitches that was mean to be a white lily. Seeing her sister's look Alica dropped one hand to her lap and grasped Vanya's hand in the other.

"Not now Van, later after dinner, I will speak with you."

Vanya simply nodded and went back to her embroidery, but with her mind no longer occupied with embroidery, she inevitably ended with disaster.

"Ouch."

"Vanya, I told you to be gentle," scolded Lady Maryuuna.

As soon as Vanya heard the songs of the workers from the village as they made their way home she could barely contain her joy.

"Ladies let us adjourn for today, the night draws nigh," intoned Lady Maryuuna as she and her ladies set their work aside.

Vanya bolted for the door with Lady Maryuuna's scolding echoing past her. Vanya hardly cared; they couldn't make her embroider more, 'Thank the gods,'

She rushed past the guards her black hair fluttered free of the long braid to tumble past her shoulders as she ran down the stairs, out past the gates and into the stables.

"Oh Sham only a few hours till supper and I am dying!"

A soft whicker accompanied by a finely whiskered muzzle thrust itself from behind a stall door and into the waiting hands of Vanya.

"You and Alica are the only ones who understands and her barely."

"Now what are yea saying to the beastie, hmmm Milady?" A grizzled and lined face appeared from the inside the tack room burdened with saddle and bridle. "Old Tam, understands yea, and the beastie, sides not many can ride him, he's too smart."

"Ha, you know what I mean, Tam, you're different there is no understanding! You just don't want the stable boys drawing lots to exercise him!"

"You have me there, Milady, he needs more than just a race across the fields, dragging the poor lads with him," smiled Tam as he helped her with the saddle, "I could tell when you started riding him Milady, he loves ye' he does." Tam said as he placed saddle and bridle on the stall door.

Sham shivered with excitement and tossed ebony head and tail in his eagerness while Vanya laughed with excitement.

"Tam do you…"

"Yes Milady," said Tam as he pulled a small sack from his feet tossing it to Vanya.

"Thank you! Will you saddle him while I dress?" asked Vanya as she opened the sack to reveal faded and patched breeches and a tunic too big for her slender frame.

"Hold steady here boyo," Tam said as he slipped saddle and blanket over Sham's back.

Vanya whispered into Sham's ears as she slipped into the breeches and tunic that Tam had produced for her one day after finding her skirts askew and muddy after a particularly hard ride through the mud. "Milady will be needing these from now on," Tam had said, smirking as he handed the breeches and tunic over, "Wouldn't do to have your Lady Mother looking to your skirts and noticing. I'd catch more than a scolding if it was found yea rode me Sham here."

"Thank you, Tam, I will be forever grateful," smiled Vanya as she swung into Sham's saddle. Sham cavorted for a moment till Vanya reached forward and placed a gentle hand along the stallion's crest and whispered into his ear.

"Take care of the Lady, Sham, or you'll be glue faster than you can run a quarter."

Vanya laughed, "Sham has never hurt me Tam, we will be back at the hour before supper. If I'm missed I am in the usual place."

"Safe ride Milady."

"Go Sham, swifter than the North Wind."

Sham reared and swept from the stable and through the courtyard into the woods.

Vanya laughed, free at last in the forest. She released the reins more and Sham, head tossing, lengthened his stride as they sped ever faster into the forest. Coming to a log she gripped Sham's sides as he flew over the log with such ease that Vanya crowed with excitement.

After about a mile she slowly reined Sham in. Snorting Sham resisted the pull for a moment but slowed to a more sedate trot. "So, love, did you miss me?"

Sham curved his neck and flicked her boot with his tail.

"Oh, I see, you didn't miss me at all did you?" Vanya subsided as she thought about what her sister had told her.

"Sham people are so secretive. Horses are simpler and prettier too." Sham flicked an ear back then forward. "What is it that Alicia wants to tell me?"

Vanya pondered this as she took a final turn in the forest and headed for home and supper.

As Vanya approached her family's ancestral home she thought, 'Great grandfather was insane.' She looked across the wide expanse of land that was between her and rambling stone walls that were the Ashkevron's home. 'Although, according to Mearren, grandfather was not the only one who contributed to the insanity. The Ashkevron's were never meant to be builders," Vanya snickered.

Indeed any one who saw the rambling writhing mass of stone that was her home would wonder if insanity or genius was behind the construction. The main keep was so old that it was said to have existed even back to her exalted ancestor Herald Vanyel's time. From the old keep extended, over an entire hilltop, were family apartments, her Lady Mother's solar and the Main Hall placed in what might have been the middle of the great estate at one point was now slightly off-center to the right of the old keep and led the eyes toward the stables and public gardens. The herb garden and the House garden were towards the back of the house and off the kitchen. "Ha, insanity indeed. Back to the stables Sham and off to dinner, for both of us, though yours will probably be infinitely more enjoyable than mine."

Vanya slipped back into the stables, with Tam waiting for her with the gown she had worn to the stables. She quickly slipped into her clothes again with barely enough time for a pat on Sham's nose before she rushed to her own room to change for dinner.

When Vanya had washed and dried her hair she heard a discreet knock on her doors.

"Just a moment, who is it?"

"Your Lady Mother," came the not so soft reply.

'Oh no, what can she have come here for?' Vanya thought desperately. "One moment, My Lady." Vanya looked around franticly for the dress she had left in the stable. Spotting it thrown over the chair next to the door she quickly snatched it and threw it into her dresser. "Come in," Vanya called.

Lady Maryuun swept into the room and swept it with her eagle eyes. "Vanya, you will attend me after supper in my solar." She turned to leave then spotted something Vanya had missed in her hasty sweep of the room.

"What is this?" she asked as she swept a muddied shoe from under the table.

Vanya groaned knowing Maryuun would not miss that she had been out to the stables, and would even perhaps have heard rumors of her rides on Sham.

Vanya stilled her insides and replied with as much conviction as she had, "I was out in the gardens and stepped in some new turned earth, I must have missed it on my way in, forgive me I will clean it."

"No, tell one of the servants to do it, it is high time you began acting the lady instead of the ragamuffin I first found here."

Vanya stared, perhaps she hadn't guessed….

As Maryuun was leaving she stopped at the door and in her 'lady voice' said, "Oh and Vanya, if I should catch you in the stables, without an escort much less riding, I will make sure you do not see the back of a horse, or outside the keep for a week," Maryuun paused, looking into Vanya's eyes, "Is that clear my dear?"

Seething, Vanya curtsied and said, "My Lady Mother knows best." Trembling with the rage that settled in the pit of her stomach.

"Very good, I will see you at supper." With that Lady Maryuun swept from the room.

Not till Vanya could no longer hear her footfalls on the stairs did she give in to her anger, and despair. Throwing her body to the bed she slammed her fist into the mattress. "No, Sham I'm so sorry."

Then despair unlike anything she had felt previously swept over Vanya chilling her to the bones and freezing the railing rage in the pit of her stomach into a hard ball of grief that threatened to choke Vanya with its mass. In desperation Vanya pulled her dress over her head hastily belting it to her slim waist, jerking her locks up into a simple coif she fled her room down the stairs and into the hall. Thankfully there were no servants around. These wings were only for the young ladies of the family and were not often frequented by servants as the younglings were thought to be too young for servants of their own. She ran past the nursery where she heard the soft cooing of the nursemaids, and the gently babble of her youngest sister.

But she could not stop there, she ran till she reached an old library, rarely used, which backed up to her Lord Father's study. But there was a secret concealed behind the library. For if one was nimble enough there was a small window and ledge which Vanya climbed to. Swinging herself out she crept along the landing till she reached another window, this one neither to the library or study but to a tiny room enclosed in the space. Here is where Vanya fled when she had no where else to go.

Vanya had first discovered the room when she was five, after her own mother's death and the arrival of the current Lady Ashkevron. She had hidden from the eyes of the woman that she hated for taking her mother's place and fled to the library. But she had been pursued and one of the servants had gone into the library to search for the rouge child. Having seen the outside of the keep she knew there was a small landing that she could crouch on outside the window. So out she went. But fearing the servant would look out she had crouched her way along the landing till she came to a window that was partially open. Inside she had found her refuge from the entire world and had told no one, not Alica or Tam.

The room had been dusty with signs of its exposure to the elements in the forms of leaves settled against the walls, and cobwebs in the corners. Holding only a small stool with a faded blue cushion and a tiny table with a lamp too old for her to reckon when it had last been in use it was sparse. But it had given Vanya the wished for haven that she could not find among her family. She had also discovered a tiny cache of music and an old flute that was so clogged with dust it would produce no sound.

Over the years she had added her own personal touch to the room. Vanya hung the lamp from the ceiling with a hook stolen from the stables, lighting it with a tiny supply of oil which she had pilfered and saved from her own lamps. She had also replaced the shabby little cushion's fabric with some from an old dress which she said had been lost. The remaining fabric had gone to cover the window. For at night it would not do for any one to see the lone window lit from within and wonder at it.

She had also brought books over the years, mainly stories and ballads for her own enjoyment. It was into these she retreated to when she could no longer stand the presence of others. Along with the books the tiny flute had been her company and solace when the outside world was no longer hospitable. When she was old enough she had also brought an old gitterin and it had become her favorite instrument. Like the flute it was old and worn, but felt right in her hands.

"I'll have to get word to Tam that I won't be visiting for a while, but how did she find out?" wondered Vanya. "No one is ever around after the servants come in and Tam would never betray me, who is my nemesis?" Vanya pondered this till the she noticed the sun touching the horizon. Clambering through the window and back into the library she made her way to the Great Hall for supper.

Family dinners were something of a joke in the Ashkevron house, 'It would be better to describe us as a tribe,' Vanya thought as she entered the Great Hall through the massive doors.

Vanya walked past the little's table to take her place next to the ladies of Maryunn's circle. It was said that once the entire household could sit to dinner in the Great Hall but now over the years it had become impossible to do so.

The tables were arranged with the head table raised on a dais which sat eight. Vanya's Lord Father, Thane Ashkevron, who was more often than not away looking after the vast crops, cattle and land which made up the Ashkevron estate. A relatively handsome man when he was younger, he now was a dignified and revered Lord. To his right was Father Betrien, Vanya was not particularly pious and Father Betrein took delight in giving her the most onerous tasks when she did go to confessional, usually at the behest of her sister, Alica. To His right was Vanya's stepmother, Maryuun, Vanya still felt a twinge at the sight, she could still remember her mother's smiling face greeting her as she would run in from the yard where she had played as a girl with the younger servants. Her mother had been kind, gentle and understanding, two things the Lady Maryuuna had never been. She had also been a revered beauty and had passed this along to her only living child, Vanya. Though she had been poorer than many of the local nobles she had been kind and generous and had brought joy to the house. Filling out the table were all the older children including some of the fosterlings: Alica, Raeven; a fosterling from one of her father's knights who hoped to go into the Guard; Rebecca; the older sister of Alica, who was as mean as Alica was kind; Bard Y'lys; aged almost to the point of withering he was mostly there for stories, although he forgot more and more as the years passed; also with them tonight were two people Vanya did not recognize.

The first was an older man with faded blonde hair, his jaw was strong and he had the straight slender nose of the old blood in Valdemar, but his eyes were angry and flickered around the table. The second man was younger. His face bore a resemblance close enough to the elder that Vanya concluded he was the elder's son. His eyes were shyer, flicking up to look at the company then back down to the plate set before him.

Vanya took her place at the second table between two of her distant cousins, and Maryuuna's ladies in waiting, Cerulla and Emilia. Cerulla was the distant cousin of Lady Emilia, Alicia's late mother, and her namesake. She was brown and plain, and Vanya disliked her most for the constant chattering that she seemed to feel was needed to fill every space between words.

'Probably to make up for her unnoticeable look,' was Vanya's thought.

The second was Cerulla, a wife of one of her father's knights, her looks were remarkable, blonde haired and blue eyed she was born a commoner and had only made her way to her current position through her looks, she was vindictive and stupid, looking for anyway to put those around her down so as to make herself more important.

They were both talking about the two men at the table, each guessing as to who they were and their purpose here. Vanya sighed and took her place beside the two ladies giving the two men in question only the briefest of looks to the head table and Alicia. Alicia looked pale but tried to smile at the younger man who was positioned to her left, 'A vain attempt when the man will not look up from his food longer than a breath,' Vanya thought once again wondering who he was.

Vanya had grown bored with the speculation and planning of Cerulla and Emilia quickly and tuned them out. Unfortunately this gave her ample time to speculate about Maryuun and Alica's comments today.

Finally in a fit of frustration she looked towards the table right below the High Table. Alica was engaged in polite conversation with the fosterling on her right who had just arrived, Emmit, if Vanya's memory was correct, he was a second cousin of Alica's mother, Lady Selena. Maybe he had known Alica's mother. Vanya frowned. By all accounts Alica's mother had been very young when she married Lord Thane, and had died in short order along with Vanya's first brother, Thomas. Alicia still sometimes thought of her mother and three siblings that she had never known, being not even a year old when both had died.

Lord Thane had been married three times. His first wife, Lady Selena had been young and with a rich dowry, and had born five daughters, Whithe, Rebecca, Verdaline, Merene and Alicia the three oldest and Alicia being the only surviving children, both of Alicia's brothers dying before their first birthday. She had, according to Alica's sisters, been often absent due to illness and had had two other births before Alicia which had resulted in miscarriage. The loss of the first two along with her final child had claimed Alicia's mother.

Lord Thane wanting for a son had married again quickly, to the Honorable Lady Ophelia, Vanya's mother. Although she was the daughter of a well to do knight, Alicia told Vanya that the match was always one of love. Vanya was not out of the nursery when her younger brother Syva was born, her mother and father had been so happy to have a son. Vanya still recalled his great grey eyes staring into her silver ones, shinning with mirth. But the coughing sickness had swept the nursery. Vanya had caught the illness but had survived, Syva had not. Her mother had wept for weeks, and Lord Thane became distant and colder towards his other children. The next year Lady Ophelia had given birth to a stillborn little girl that she had named Claret, before passing away in the night, the young girl child had been born sickly and had died not two years later of a sickness that a stronger child would have over come.

When Vanya had been younger, Rebecca, who was by far the meanest of Vanya's sister, had told her she had stolen all the strength from her mother and siblings. Vanya had cried many nights from guilt over her cruel words. The thought still brought tears to her eyes, even if she knew it was a fallacy.

Lord Thane had then left Ashkevron Manor and journeyed to court for two years, fleeing his grief, when he met and wed his third wife, Lady Maryuun. Within weeks a birth was being celebrated, and eight months to the day Lord Thane II had been born, a healthy and vivacious child. Lord Thane rejoiced and when a second baby was announced he waited with delight and little Lanya was born. But as the years had worn and no other children were forthcoming and Lady Maryuun had proven to be an efficient but cold woman, Lord Thane had one again grown distant leaving much of the day to day running of the manor to his new wife.

Lady Maryuun had soon taken over the education of all the young ladies of the manor, putting them to tasks that "are more befitting young ladies." The only one she had not succeeded with was Vanya who had retained her freedom in the outdoors for a good many years. She had learned swords, arrows, fisticuffs, riding and falconry. She had done so till she had reached the tender age of thirteen when Lady Maryuun had finally called upon Lord Thane to rein in his daughter, the scolding still hurt Vanya's heart.

Now almost fifteen, Vanya's week had been regulated to sewing, embroidery, mending and cloth making three of the six free days in the week with the other two reserved for learning cooking and general running of the house, and lessons in dance and music. The free day was meant to be for quiet reflection or reading. Vanya did the last quite often, but had long ago taken to reading at night, and spending the day out with the horses and being taught by the young soldiers how to fight and ride. The last day was spent in prayer, the Lady Maryuun having brought her own priest, insisted on weekly devotions over seen by Father Betrin.

Vanya hated it all and had recruited Tam and Alica to help her continue her boyish ways on her free time till three months ago when Maryuun had stopped all Vanya's outside activities, and now Vanya could only steal moments with Sham and the occasional hunting excursion on which she was forced to ride a slow and spiritless gelding with the other ladies. Vanya loved her father and sisters as well as her little brother, but she could not help but feel resentment towards her Lady Mother.

"Vanya, what do you think of Lady Alica's wedding?" crooned Emilia.

"What?" yelped Vanya, so loud that some conversations around her stopped and the eagle eye of Lady Maryuun swept across her. Whispering now, Vanya turned sharply to Emilia, "Marriage, Alicia?"

"Why yes, she is being wedded to Lord Ertine of Knoles Crossing. That is who the young lord is. You mean you didn't know?" Emilia smirked, "How odd. Well she'll be gone in the week and…."

"You snake- telling lies and…" Vanya hissed.

"It is true, you know," said Cerulla.

Vanya stopped, Cerulla was mean, but her words rang true, and there was no other way to explain away Alicia's words from earlier.

'Leaving? Engaged?' Vanya's mind raced to find another answer. Just then Lord Thane rose, turned to place a perfunctory kiss on Maryuuna's cheek he retired signaling the end of the meal. The two visiting lords retired along with Vanya's father, the elder still haggling away with Lord Thane, and the younger following along dejectedly.

Vanya looked at Alicia who was walking along the hall towards the door. Vanya intercepted Alicia, who drew the younger woman onto her arms, but before a word was spoken, "Daughter, I will have a word with you," rang out Maryuuna's voice.

"By all the-,"

"Shhh, you must go, we will talk later, come to my room after your talk, I will tell you everything," assured Alicia.

Vanya scowled but turned towards the commanding presence of her step mother. "Cast that look from your face child, I will have none of your stubbornness tonight. Now come, and you will act as the obedient daughter, in front of your father."

"Father?" Vanya was surprised, over all her years the only time she had spoken in more than passing with her father were on occasions of her naming day and the other time she would rather forget.

"Yes, your father and I have decided upon your future and there will be no arguments from you, the arrangements have all been set."

'Arrangements, no!' cried out Vanya's mind even as she followed Maryuuna to her father's study.

Maryuuna stopped at the tall door, just to the left of her secret room, the door stood ajar and Vanya could see the flickering light of a fire inside.

"Come my daughter, your Lord Father awaits."

Thanks for reading this first chapter, I don't know yet how often I will be able to update, and it will depend highly upon my schedule, I am still in school and nearing the time when finals will take over my life, so for now updates will be infrequent at best. But I will be persuaded to work harder the more reviews I get.

Next Chapter: Unwanted Plans

Vanya's father tells her of his plans for her future and Vanya rebels.


End file.
